United Brothers Defrauded the State of Around 73 Million KM?

As Patria unofficially learns, the main suspects who evaded taxes or incorrectly reported VAT refund amounts through connected companies are brothers Jerko and Mladen Ivanković Lijanović, owners of the Lijanović meat industry. 

In the extensive investigation conducted over a longer period by the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, based on which the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina last year issued an order for searches and seizure of business documentation, it is proven that there are elements of suspicion  of organized crime through which the state was damaged by about 73 million KM. 

The Lijanovićs founded related companies that were only formally registered as owners of movable and immovable property, and by doing business with the meat industry of the "united brothers," they created debts to the state for taxes and contributions, and were subsequently dissolved. 

Given that the companies only fictitiously owned property, the Indirect Taxation Authority was unable to enforce VAT collection because the fictitious companies did not possess real property or fixed assets.

The Lijanović brothers founded the company MI-MO Mostar together with the current Minister of Trade in the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Milorad Bahilja from Lijanović's party NSRzB with whom they had signed cooperation agreements in the period between 2003 and 2006. Those responsible in this company are charged with tax evasion in the amount of 845,184 KM, about which a criminal report was filed back in 2011. 

The current Federal Deputy Prime Minister, according to Patria's information, was in 2011 also the responsible person of the farm "Duvanjsko polje." Based on the minutes of the inspection conducted by inspectors of the Indirect Taxation Authority of Bosnia and Herzegovina, he owes the state about one million KM for unpaid VAT. Interestingly, the director of this company was Jerko, who, despite established illegalities, but also the fact that the company's director claimed there was no conflict of interest. 

"Duvanjsko polje" is not the only company connected to Jerko Ivanković Lijanović for which the Indirect Taxation Authority of Bosnia and Herzegovina has established VAT debts. The companies "Farmer - meat industry" Široki Brijeg, MI-MO Mostar, FARMKO Široki Brijeg, LAKTAT Posušje and ZD.I, are also connected to Lijanović; the Indirect Taxation Authority of Bosnia and Herzegovina previously submitted reports to the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina due to suspicion of tax evasion and non-payment in multi-million amounts.